Collaboration leads to Dlgap2 discoveries

A multi-institutional collaboration published findings that identify Dlgap2 as modifier of cognitive longevity in Diversity Outbred mice and associate the gene with Alzheimer's disease.

Connection between ATP8B1 gene and Alzheimer's resilience

Dr. Tim Hohman recently presented findings from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) that confirmed a link between resilience to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and ATP8B1, a gene also involved with bile processing in the liver. Dr. Hohman's approach harmonized data from four different study cohorts, giving his team an exceptionally large sample size (5,108) to work with.

Jackie Eissman

Jackie
Eissman
PhD Student
Human Genetics
jaclyn.m.eissman@vanderbilt.edu

Jackie is completing her Ph.D. degree in Human Genetics under the mentorship of Dr. Timothy Hohman at the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center's Computational Neurogenomics Team. She received her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Cognitive Studies from Vanderbilt University. The focus of Jackie’s research is elucidating sex differences in the genetic architecture underlying resilience to Alzheimer’s disease. She will leverage multi-modal data from numerous studies of cognitive aging and implement novel sex-specific models to identify genes that protect the brain from the downstream consequences of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology.

eissmanjackie

Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project Grant Renewal

We are excited to announce that funding for the Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project (VMAP) has been renewed with an $18.2 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging. The size and scope of this grant is a testament to the quality of the data provided by the original research cohort and the dedication of VMAP's investigators and collaborators.  VMAP has supported numerous training grants for early career scientists. Among the project’s higher profile findings to date:

Corey Bolton, PsyD

Corey
Bolton
PsyD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
corey.bolton@vumc.org

Dr. Corey Bolton is a clinical neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Bolton’s research focuses on the use of novel methods for early identification of Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on blood-based biomarkers. He currently receives funding from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association to better understand the ability of blood-based biomarkers to predict meaningful clinical changes in older adults, and to understand clinical, ethical, and social aspects of disclosing Alzheimer’s disease biomarker results to patients and their loved ones. He is also a collaborator with the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. 

Dr. Bolton earned a doctorate in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuropsychology from Wheaton College in suburban Chicago. Prior to joining VMAC, he completed a doctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at Rush University Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2022.

Impact of Childhood Lifestyle Factors on Alzheimer's Disease Prevention

Tim Hohman (Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center), PhD, and Catherine Kaczorowski (The Jackson Labratory), PhD, recently co-wrote an editorial for JAMA Neurology entitled "Modifiable Lifestyle Factors in Alzheimer Disease: An Opportunity to Transform the Therapeutic Landscape Through Transdisciplinary Collaboration." The piece discusses existing evidence for early-life lifestyle factors that may contribute to Alzheimer's disease prevention and encourages collaborative research models in the field

Hudson Robb

Huddson
Robb
PhD Student

Hudson Robb  is completing his Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Dr. Angela Jefferson at the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center. Before joining VMAC, Hudson worked in the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. His current research focuses on how markers of oxygen metabolism relate to cognition and brain pathology. More generally, Hudson’s work will utilize various imaging modalities and neuropsychological testing to study changes across the cognitive aging spectrum.